Outstanding young people recognized

The 10 most outstanding young men and women in the nation will be recognized at an award ceremony at the Ilan Cultural Center on Oct. 25, according to officials from the Taiwan Junior Chamber, which sponsors the annual awards.

The winners were selected for excellence in social services, science, diplomacy, culture and sport.

Offering his congratulations to the 10 winners, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), who was one of the judges, said all the recipients were selected after strict screening and careful examination to make sure that they were role models for Taiwanese society.

Many of the 10 award recipients are from poor families or have experienced hardship during their formative years, according to Taiwan Junior Chamber officials.

For example, Huang Chun-min (黃俊銘), one of the winners in the social services category, was orphaned at a very young age.

Nevertheless, he was not daunted by this family tragedy but instead managed to complete his education to doctorate level and has continued to contribute to affairs that boost the public interest, the Junior Chamber officials said.

Chuang Chih-yuan (莊智淵), a member of the national table tennis team, was absent from yesterday's press conference because he is injured, according to Chuang's elder brother, who attended the press conference on his behalf.

Chuang, 22, began training for table tennis at the age of eight.

The grueling hours of practice every day that have been his routine over the years have made him an ace player who won the world championship earlier this year.

Chang Chieh (張捷), manager of an education and cultural foundation for visually impaired people in Taipei, was blinded in a fire at the age of 29.

However, he has not been defeated by his blindness and joined the foundation to serve other blind people.

He is known to his friends as the "phoenix out of the fire."

The 10 outstanding young men and women are: Huang Chun-min (黃俊銘) and Chang Chieh (張捷), in the social-services category; Ke Ming-tao (柯明道) in the science-technology category; Wang Ying-lang (王英郎) in the labor sector; Yang Zi-pao (楊子葆) for outstanding diplomatic performance; Fan Tong-yun (樊同雲) for outstanding contributions to agriculture; Hung Hsin-fu (洪新富) and Chou Ming-chieh (周明傑) for commendable performances in art and culture; Chuang Chih-yuan (莊智淵) in the education and sports category; and Liao Min-fei (廖敏妃) in the medical research field.